A 22-year-old man at the centre of a “serious” theft at a Hamilton Hill bottle shop has narrowly avoided a criminal record. The man faced Bunbury Magistrates Court on Thursday, August 30 charged with one count of stealing. The court heard from police prosecutor Acting Sergeant Darren Grigson that the 22-year-old was involved in an incident at 3.10pm on January 26. At Liquor Barons in Hamilton Hill, the 22-year-old and several co-offenders entered the store. He removed two bottles of Jim Beam from the display shelf and attempted to leave the store with them in hand. The 22-year-old along with the co-offenders – who had also taken bottles of alcohol off the shelves – looked towards the entrance/exit before being approached by a shop attendant. While being confronted by the staff member, the group then headed towards the door and broke out into a run. The 22-year-old was later arrested and interviewed by police over the incident, with the culprit admitting to his involvement. He told police he had succumbed to peer pressure. The accused’s lawyer told the court his client was remorseful and did not want to repeat the same mistake. Although taking the man’s guilty plea into consideration, Magistrate Evan Shackleton accosted him for being swayed by peer pressure at 22. The magistrate said the charge was serious and that the man had let himself down. The man was fined $500 and forced to pay $205.30 in costs, but was also granted a spent conviction. Read more: